The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1887-07-04
A TRAGIC AFFAIR.
A Hawaiian Meets with His Death i'm
Boston Under Suspicious CircUm-
stances.

the employees at the Seamen's Home,
No. 8 North Bennett street, discovered,
stretched in a pool of blood on the base
ment floor, the body of John Kalua, a
boarder, who was evidently breathing
his last. The frightened domestic
rushed upstairs and informed Mr.. john
son, the superintendent, of the fact, and
that gentleman at once dispatched
messenger for DIR. Millerick, while John
son himself went to Station l and re-
ported the case to Capt. Dawson and
Patrolmen Peare, RideOut, Fessenden,
Harrington and Saxton were at once on
their taps to ravel the mystery. One Of
the boarders, Elmer Olsen, volunteered
the information that kalua was playing
with some pistol cartridges, and one OF
them exploded, the ball entering his
body. His statement seemed borne out
bv the fact that on the floor when the
doctor arrived were found scattered
about quite number of 32-caliber cart
ridges. Olsen's anxiety, however, to
impress the accidental theory of death
upon Ills HcdTCIS dIOllSCu SIASBlClOA III
the minds of the officers that all was not
right, and led them to believe that Oh
sen knew more about the cause of Ka-
lua's death than he had told. Inter
views with members of the household
still further confirmed this belief, and
the situation began to look very black
for Olsen. After patient research into
the matter, the officers concluded that it
would be policy to apprehend him, and
later in the afternoon Patrolmen Saxton
and Harrington took him into custody,
and he is now confined in Station l,
pending the autopsy of the medical ex
aminer to-day. No weapon was found
on him when he was searched, and
Capt Dawson, with several officers, went
at once to the house, to find, if possible,
the revolver from which the fatal bullet
is supposed to have been fired. They
rummaged through the trunks and boxes
of Olsen, and a thorough search of the
basement was made, the services of d
plumber being called into requisition to
rip up the water closet, for the purpose
of recovering the weapon, if it had been
thrown down there The officers were
unsuccessful, but in the pipe leading
from the water closet they found several
cartridges similar to those found on the
basement floor These, however, may
have been thrown there by the doctor.
who,ssit is said, picked up several from
the floor near the corpse and threw them
into the water closet basin. 1t is said
that Olsen had ample opportunity to
dispose OF his weapon, had he so wished
to do, before he was arrested, or even
suspected, as, according to the testimony
OF one of the girls employed in the house,
he was seen to come up out of the base
ment just after the report OF the shot was
heard.
Olsen explains his presence in that
part of the house as a visit to the toilet
room. This room is located in the ex-
IRENE rear of the basement, while the
body of Kalua was found in the front
part of the place, several feet away from
that room.
Mr.. l.. Vernon Briggs, notary public
and passport agent, Of No. 81 Devon
shire street, by whom Kalua was en-
ployed, was seen last evening by Sergt.
Simonds, and he says he is positive that
Kalua never owned or had in his posses
sion revolver. Kalua is a Kanaka,
and was born in Honolulu, H. l., %
years ago. He came to this country
some months ago in the capacity of
steward of an American ship, and OBJ
tanned employment with Mr.. Briggs, re-
ferred to above. He is described as
very affable young man, and was never
known to quarrel with any one. The
man who is under arrest for numbering
him is Swede and is &c years of age
He is sailor, and has been boarding for
some weeks at the Seamen's Home.
Nothing is known against him, and as
far as known, he and KaIua were on the
most friendly terms. The bullet which
killed Kalua passed through his vest and
shirt into his left breast, and death must
have ensued very shortly.
On June Sth Patrolman Saxton, of
Division 1, visited Elmer Olsen in Jail,
and, after some conversation in regard to
the death of Kalua, Olsen said that he
had made misstatement in regard to
the manner of Kalua's decease. His |
story is now that they were together in
The basement of the Seamen's Home, |
md Kalua was engaged in loading and |
cleaning revolver. Suddenly, without |
any explanation whatever of his reasons
or 80 doing, he turned the muzzle of the |
Weapon toward his own breast and |
pulled the trigger. He dropped to the
1oor, and blood began flowing in a
stream from the wound. Olsen said that
ne became so frightened because he
thought he would be accused of commit
ing the crime, he took the revolver and
MD it in the furnace
AS soon as Capt. Dawson heard this
new story he at once took Sergt. Simonds
and Patrolman Saxton with him to the
place. He also took with them Patrick
Green, tinsmith, who upon arrival pro-